Review

Let's face it, sometimes you think you've heard it all. The intricite, pounding riffs pioneered by Mastodon, the soft-heavy dynamics perfected by late-era Isis, the sheer unadultered math chaos rampant through The Dillinger Escape Plan's extensive discography, it's all been done before and you wonder whether there's any spark of originality left in the music industry. Surprisingly, the truth sometimes lies in places where you wouldn't bother looking. Such is the case of the funeralviolence band Su19b and their self-titled EP.

These Japanese masterminds play a revolutionary combination of devastating drone/funeral doom in the vein of Ahab or Corruptered interspersed with short, rapid outbursts of powerviolence/Japanese hardcore fury akin to early Crossed Out. Through its 5-minute runtime, Su19b convey more emotion and substance than any post metal or goregrind band in an hour, a proof of the band's high level of maturity and intellect. In essence, the one-minute microsongs are a lite version of what you always wanted to hear in Corrupted's music but never got the time to actually check it out.

The fuzzy, downtuned hardcore riffs are no Defeater but they perfectly complement the monolithic, crawling funeral sludge riffs which fade just as quickly as they burst into life. The unpredictable nature of the riffs is one of the key elements that makes this album enjoyable from start to finish. The album's short duration actually may seem as a huge minus for some people but you can still listen to Trap Them when the album's over. The vocalist is intense. His voice is very deep and restrained and although one may have the impression that he's sucking on a giant dick, he actually isn't. The drummer is fairly average (I doubt he even knows how to use triggers) but he knows when to hit the drums and when to let them rest.

In conclusion, if you ever get tired of listening to Charles Bronson, Refused or any any other classic hardcore band in general, give this twisted, innovative band a chance. Or listen to Opeth. That works too.